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---
title: The Stonewall Movie and How TIME Covered What Happened
description: A movie about the 1969 riots will be released Sept. 25. Here&#x27;s what TIME said about the real events it&#x27;s based on.
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author: Lily Rothman
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article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2015-09-25T13:30:18.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:01:34.517Z
article:section: History
og:title: The Stonewall Movie and How TIME Covered What Happened
og:description: A movie about the 1969 riots will be released Sept. 25
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og:image:alt: Stonewall Inn nightclub raid. Crowd attempts to impede polic
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twitter:description: A movie about the 1969 riots will be released Sept. 25
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt320d30a4f0764a4d/6988649ea988ca684c6b46f2/stonewall.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# How TIME Covered the Stonewall Riots

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## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ

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| Attribute | Value | Source |
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### FAQ

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TIME digital-only is $20 for one year. Print and digital is from $29 for one year, or $49 for two years. Both plans can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent.

#### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription?

The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent.

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Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories.

#### Is TIME a reliable news source?

TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers.

#### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine?

Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription.

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![Lily Rothman](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8eb1311b7067f39/698a1248b21a9c0e12504068/Rothman-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)


![Lily Rothman](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8eb1311b7067f39/698a1248b21a9c0e12504068/Rothman-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Lily Rothman


Rothman is managing editor at TIME.

Sep 25, 2015 1:30 PM UTC

![Stonewall Inn nightclub raid. Crowd attempts to impede polic](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt320d30a4f0764a4d/6988649ea988ca684c6b46f2/stonewall.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Stonewall Inn nightclub raid, June 28, 1969

Stonewall Inn nightclub raid, June 28, 1969 New York Daily News Archive / Getty Images

![Lily Rothman](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8eb1311b7067f39/698a1248b21a9c0e12504068/Rothman-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)


![Lily Rothman](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8eb1311b7067f39/698a1248b21a9c0e12504068/Rothman-headshot.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Lily Rothman


Rothman is managing editor at TIME.

Sep 25, 2015 1:30 PM UTC

The [controversial](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/movies/roland-emmerichs-stonewall-finds-controversy.html?%5Fr=0) new movie _Stonewall_, out Friday, is named for the clash between New York City police and patrons of the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969—the event that’s commonly seen as the spark that ignited the modern gay rights movement in the United States.

“For those living through the summer of 1969, its epochal moments seemed to be Chappaquiddick, the moon landing, Woodstock. But in terms of American social history, the most important event of those steamy months a quarter-century ago may have been a largely unreported street clash, in the early-morning hours of June 28, between police and the homosexual clientele of an unlicensed New York City bar, the Stonewall Inn,” TIME’s William A. Henry [remarked](http://time.com/vault/issue/1994-06-27/page/51/) upon the 25th anniversary of the clash. “The brief uprising inspired a gay civil rights movement that until then had few public adherents and scant hope of success.”

At the time, however, the clash was treated largely as a local news item reported only [in New York City](http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/06/29/89004281.html?pageNumber=33). TIME, for one, never covered the initial conflagration.

It wasn’t until 1979, in an article about the great progress that movement had made, that TIME [first mentioned](http://time.com/vault/issue/1979-04-23/page/82/) the name of the bar where it began. Another decade went by before the [next mention](http://time.com/vault/issue/1989-07-10/page/58/).

Perhaps not surprisingly, the words “Stonewall Inn” began to appear more frequently in the mainstream press as the movement shifted into the mainstream too. It was around the mid-1980s that the phrase became [far more commonly used](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Stonewall+Inn&year%5Fstart=1960&year%5Fend=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct%5Furl=t1%3B%2CStonewall%20Inn%3B%2Cc0). By 2003, when TIME included Stonewall on a [list](http://time.com/vault/issue/2003-03-31/page/129/) of the “80 Days That Changed the World,” the moment’s influence—and that of the diverse crowd that helped make it happen—was no longer a matter of debate:

---

> “”

---


**_See the rest of the 80 days list, here in the TIME Vault:_** [80 Days That Changed the World](http://time.com/vault/issue/2003-03-31/page/129/)

### See the Celebration at Stonewall Inn After Gay Marriage Ruling

![Gay Marriage new york stonewall](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt458a1a859d626350/698858ca3c1639319f458998/stonewall-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

People gather outside of the Stonewall Inn, an iconic gay bar recently granted historic landmark status, on June 26, 2015 in the West Village neighborhood in New York City. Yana Paskova—Getty Images

![Gay Marriage new york stonewall](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a0577dc60f013dd/698858ca524fc01de9df355d/stonewall-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Women kiss each other as people celebrate outside the Stonewall Inn in the West Village neighborhood of New York June 26, 2015. Eduardo Munoz—Reuters

![Gay Marriage new york stonewall](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c11e6d5bd7a2fe8/698858cba988ca3b186b33e3/stonewall-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Carlotta Gurl, a gay rights activist from Vancouver, Canada, chats outside of the Stonewall Inn, an iconic gay bar recently granted historic landmark status, on June 26, 2015 in the West Village neighborhood in New York City. Yana Paskova—Getty Images


![Gay Marriage new york stonewall](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e86dbe02afd8f96/698858cccd684873d20a0923/stonewall-5.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Carlotta Gurl (in wedding dress, left,) a gay rights activist from Vancouver, Canada, celebrates outside of the Stonewall Inn, an iconic gay bar recently granted historic landmark status, on June 26, 2015 in the West Village neighborhood in New York City. Yana Paskova—Getty Images

![Gay Marriage new york stonewall](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9112b5d6c0cec1e7/698858cbe20a87ed94a8c103/stonewall-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

People celebrate inside the Stonewall Inn, an iconic gay bar recently granted historic landmark status, on June 26, 2015 in the West Village neighborhood in New York City. Yana Paskova—Getty Images

![Gay Marriage new york stonewall](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb563b01ea2f61924/698858cc0b72e3afa26e4b26/stonewall-7.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

A man plays music as people celebrate inside the Stonewall Inn in the West Village neighborhood of New York, June 26, 2015. Eduardo Munoz—Reuters


![Gay Marriage new york stonewall](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt23fdd04f68011875/698858cc5f570f76a9b1c3a2/stonewall-9.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Empress XXIX Madison Mansfield celebrates inside the Stonewall Inn in the West Village neighborhood of New York June 26, 2015. Eduardo Munoz—Reuters

![Gay Marriage new york stonewall](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53d57d6816df4c71/698858cd3c1639126b45899d/stonewall-10.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

New Yorkers begin to arrive at the historic Stonewall Inn June 26, 2015 in the West Village after hearing of the ruling from the Supreme Court that stated gay marriage as constitutional. Zach D Roberts—Corbis

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